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It's occurred to me recently just how few variations there really are of the venerable Humvee, one of the most recognisable off-road military vehicles in the world. You have the Tamiya and Academy Armament and TOW carrier, versions, the Italeri Cargo Carrier, the Academy and Italeri Gun Truck versions, and the Academy/Bronco up-armoured ones, plus the old Italeri Avenger. Academy used to make the Ambulance, which I had many years ago, and didn't do a very good job with, pushing it almost beyond the realm of repair (I gave up trying to fix it). The Ambulance model is practically non-existent. In fact the only place I've found that actually has one in stock, turned out to be an online store that, although they say they ship internationally, only seem to ship to Canada or the U.S. (ARGH!). There used to be numerous types of Humvee available, but most are no longer made or stocked anywhere. The peculiar thing is that no company, particularly those that used to make those discontinued versions, seems to create new, modernised versions. I mean, we see countless WW2 vehicles being made time and time again, but vehicles like the Humvee (such as the support variants) or the HEMTT truck don't seem to get much attention in the way of modernisation. I think that's a big shame, because the newer models in real life look quite a bit different, especially with the newer armour packages. I really do wish more companies would put effort into releasing modern vehicle kits, and a greater variety of them. I'd love to see a Tamiya, Academy or Meng, or even Trumpeter M-ATV, or an M977A4, or a correctly up-armoured FMTV, or the M997A3 Ambulance, or even the Ural Typhoon-K. Modern figures too, would be most welcome. Masterbox make great figures, and I'm pleased they decided to create some modern setting kits (even if some of the weapons are inaccurate or outdated), but it seems the bulk of figures from current times are resin. Not to mention PLA soldiers seem to be non-existent outside of a parade set. Modern accessories too would be fantastic, especially considering the bulk of non-resin ones are either 80s-early-00s stuff, or limited to that one Meng set. Post is a bit of a rant, I know, and I've gone a bit off track from the Humvees, lol. But I do wish just once the modern era got a bit more love. I recently looked through some WW2 kits and my eyes nearly popped out on how easy and relatively cheaply you could create a diverse diorama. What kind of modern vehicles/figures/accessories would you guys like to see come to the market, and who would be your preferred manufacturer? Gaz

Hey all, back again This was a kit I got for my birthday and which I've just completed. The vehicle itself is fully painted and partially weathered with a wash. I'm still deciding on what type of diorama base I want to do for it, so further weathering is on hold for the time being Vehicle is completely OOB, with a few additions and modifications. Additions include the CIP panel on the hood, as well extra kit on the two as yet unpainted figures, taken from a Meng equipment set and spares from a Masterbox set. The gunner supplied with this kit (the guy at the back) didn't seem to work with the turret too well, but luckily his pose lends itself well to where I've decided to stand him. I also kitted him out with a CamelBak and helmet from the Meng kit. The replacement gunner is from the Masterbox set, but posed a bit of a problem. Where the M2 was originally positioned, as designed in the kit, it was too low for him to look like he was gripping it. As a result, I had to glue a small section of sprue onto its mounting to raise it up, as well as move the gunshield up a bit. Luckily the darker colours hide the bit of mounting visible through the glass Another note about the supplied figures is that the driver is bigger than he should be, and doesn't actually match his picture. His right leg is depicted as being straight in the instructions, but is bent on the actual molding. He just barely fits into position as disembarking. I had another figure from the Masterbox kit that I had planned to use, but again due to size restrictions inside the vehicle, I'll have to use him with something else, possible my upcoming Bradley. Other extras on the vehicle include the stowage, some of which came from the Tamiya equipment set, others from two Meng sets, which includes the hardcase in the back, the cooler and the M82 in the gunner cupola. I can't recall what the M136 is from; a Dragon figure kit, perhaps. Although the instructions can be a little misleading at times, and some smaller parts very easy to snap, this kit went together pretty well. My intention for the diorama (along with my Abrams and Bradley) is to depict its deployment into an East Asia conflict, providing options for either a snippet of an urban setting, or something muddy. Anyway, that's a large enough wall of text. Time for pics Gaz

Hi! This is Tamiyas Humvee built as a vehicle stationed at Camp Bond Steel, Kososvo in 2000. I was lucky to hitch a ride in one of these when I served with KFOR in 2000, and I have tried to depict the vehicle I rode in The model is built OOB, except antenna, and gunners strap. I then painted it using Tamiyas Nato colours. Weathering is added using filters, pigmenter og Rain Streaks from AK Interactive